England kept their lead intact on top of Group I with a more than convincing 5-0 victory over minnows Andorra.
Gareth Southgate kept the pressure on second-placed Albania with a breezing win over Andorra, which saw England score five past the European minnows. There were five different goalscorers in the game as Phil Foden pulled the strings from a deeper role.
It took 18 minutes for the Three Lions to open the scoring, and it all started with a great ball from Foden from deep into the path of Jadon Sancho, who then laid it off for Ben Chilwell to smash it home. Bukayo Saka was then the beneficiary of yet another great ball over the top from Foden as the forward doubled England’s deal before half-time.
Then the away side had to wait until the hour mark, when Sancho’s cross found Tammy Abraham, who deserved a goal for his hard work in the match. Substitute Jack Grealish then earned a penalty after he was fouled inside the box.
James Ward-Prowse initially missed his penalty but scored from the rebound to add a fourth. Grealish then got his long-awaited first England strike to finish the game off. Here’s how the England stars fared against Andorra.
Sam Johnstone: 7/10
Picked up in place of Jordan Pickford, Johnstone would have been delighted with the clean sheet. Andorra’s attackers made no real attempts at his goal and made one late save, which was flagged offside in the end — got an assist for his accurate and long-throw, which led to Grealish’s strike.
S?️m Johnstone ? pic.twitter.com/a0o9zDYSnf
— England (@England) October 9, 2021
Kieran Trippier: 6.5/10
Trippier was named captain on the night as he was the most experienced player in the England side full of youth. He made his presence count and helped secure the clean sheet.
John Stones: 7/10
Stones needed such an outing. He was barely troubled at the back, as England’s attackers kept the ball ticking forward. He got booked for an unnecessary confrontation, risking a suspension.
Conor Coady: 6.5/10
Coady continued his recent good form for Wolves and translated it with England. A very vocal display from the centre-back, who would be happy with the clean sheet.
Ben Chilwell: 7.5/10
The Chelsea full-back so dearly wanted a goal like that, which could help convince Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel to start him more often. They smashed home the opening goal, which came on a plate for him.
Jesse Lingard: 7/10
Lingard was deployed in midfield as part of a different setup from Southgate, and he proved vital in proceedings. Andorra players found him very difficult to handle has he kept o bursting on the right channel. Got no assists or goals to his name, but this was a tremendous performance from the Manchester United star.
James Ward-Prowse: 7/10
England’s deepest lying midfielder, and Ward-Prowse looked comfortable in his role. A great threat from set-pieces as well. He missed a penalty but was very alert to score from the rebound.
Phil Foden: 9/10
Foden’s exploits in the final third against Liverpool deserved praises, but he showed a more accomplished side of his game as a deep-lying playmaker. Pulled the strings for England and got a deserved assist. The Andorra players could not contain him at all.
Phil Foden's game by numbers vs. Andorra:
100% long ball accuracy (9/9)
100% take-on success (5/5)
95% pass accuracy
89 touches
5/6 duels won
4 chances created
2 big chances created
1 shot
1 assistHe was so good this evening. ? pic.twitter.com/ctEgy2sQdl
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 9, 2021
Jadon Sancho: 8/10
Sancho wanted a good start in the game and got one. He made his presence felt by posing as a constant attacking outlet on his side. Got two assists on the night from which Chilwell and Abraham scored their goals.
Tammy Abraham: 7/10
Abraham continued his good form with a hard-working performance. He used his physical presence well, holding the ball smartly to bring others into play. Took his goal with a powerful header.
Bukayo Saka: 8/10
The Andorra players could not get anywhere near Saka on the night, and they chose to foul him instead of tackling him more often than not. He brilliantly took his goal and showed the England boss that he could perform even when not at his best.
20 – Bukayo Saka (20y 34d) is the youngest player to score in consecutive appearances for the England men's team since Wayne Rooney in 2004 (18y 241d), while he is the youngest ever @Arsenal player to net in consecutive games for the Three Lions. Star. pic.twitter.com/dsk3GUDds0
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 9, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Fikayo Tomori: 6.5/10
Tomori got a decent 30-minutes under his belt as he replaced Stones at the hour mark after the third goal was scored.
Jack Grealish: 8/10
Grealish made a huge impact when he was brought on. He won the penalty due to his direct style and scored his first-ever England goal after a long wait.
“I’ve wanted that for a while! It’s something that’s been in the back of my mind. I’m delighted to score for @England. It’s just a dream come true – something I’ve wanted to do for so long.”@JackGrealish is one happy man tonight ?#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/msUpjf38C8
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 9, 2021
Mason Mount: 6/10
Got some minutes under his belt when the game was already won.
Ollie Watkins: 6/10
Watkins replaced Abraham and got 10 minutes on the pitch. He could not score and add to the scoreline any further.
